Indelible
by Kairyn Deliae
Summary: It's a long twisting path from bystander to hero. And some don't necessarily mean to start down it nor realize they're on it until they've gone to far to turn back. An OC story featuring a slow build to being a hero and a character type I don't see a lot of in the fandom. No real romantic interest planned but the option is still there.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N:** So, this is a bit different of a story for me. The OC that I have here isn't a superhero (not yet at least) and he won't be getting any sort of power or anything for quite a while. This is really more of an origin story almost. And though the team might not all appear right away they will all be in it, never fear.

* * *

"Oh man… this sucks," a particularly energetic redhead said as he slumped across the cafeteria table. He'd inhaled his food in less than a minute and now was taking the time to express his depression in the most comically overdramatic way possible. "It's the perfect day for the beeaach…" he moaned, digging his fingers into his spiky red locks before dragging his hands over his face.

A boy sitting across and slightly to the left of the redhead chuckled slightly. "Wally, is it really that bad?" he asked, a slight English accent seeping through.

"Yeeess!" Wally said letting his arms flop out in front of him. "You're just a freshman, Luke, you don't get it yet! All my friends are at the beach and I have to be here! Why do we start so much earlier than Gotham and Happy Harbor?"

Wally's new friend sighed. "Wally, I might be a freshman but it's not like I started school for the first time today."

"Yeah, but it was English school before. It's like… entirely different," Wally said with a pout. Though school had just started that day and Luke was a freshman he'd been put in the same gym class as Wally. The two ended up paired together for drills and Wally's natural jovialness had made them quick friends. A good thing for Luke, since being a freshman, as well as from another country, quickly put barriers up between him and the rest of the populace.

"It's not so very different," Luke argued as he dipped a fry into the small cup of mustard.

"You know that's supposed to go in ketchup right?" Wally asked without lifting his head from the table.

Luke shrugged slightly. "I prefer mustard," he answered. "Anyway. You should cheer up. It isn't like school will last forever. It's over in only a few more hours."

"It is forever," Wally moaned. "Those guys are probably having so much fun without me! It's not fair!"

Luke rolled his blue eyes and shook his head. "The amount of melodrama you're exuding may be toxic to small animals, I think," he said resting his head on one hand. "Could you perhaps tone it down even if it is just for lunch?"

Wally pouted some more but at least straightened. "It's still not fair."

"I know," Luke said obligingly as he dipped another fry in his mustard. "So, how exactly are you friends with people in Gotham and Happy Harbor?"

The redhead blinked and straightened even more. "Huh?"

"Well, you specified that Gotham and Happy Harbor start school after us so I figured that meant that your friends go to school there," Luke explained. "It just seemed odd to me that you'd be friends with people so far away."

Wally waved his hand some. "Nah. It's not that strange. These days there's like a gazillion different ways to keep in touch with people," he explained simply.

"I suppose that's true," Luke agreed. "I guess I've just never been one for technology. Mum doesn't like it much so it took ages just to get a telly that wasn't operated by dials."

"Whoa… retro."

Luke chuckled some and nodded. "Yes, but, as she would say, that gave me ample time for other, healthier, things. Father was a personal trainer so he kept me busy out of the house most of the time."

"So, that's why you're crazy twisty," Wally said. "I thought you were going to break your back a couple times during stretches. I was starting to think it was just that all the tiny ones are like that…"

Luke blinked in confusion. "Tiny ones?"

Wally laughed a bit and rubbed the back of his head. "One of my best friends, Rob…bie. He's all flexible and stuff like you are. And he's about your size… maybe a little wider," he said quickly, stumbling only slightly over his friend's identity. He wasn't sure just how well acquainted Luke was with teenage caped crusaders but he didn't really want to risk finding out. "But then Rob says he was in the circus as a kid so maybe that's where he learned it."

"My dad said he was in the circus but I don't believe him. I never saw him do anything amazing or even any pictures of it. Plus, he was always disappearing and lying to mum and me. Maybe he just figured I wouldn't do it if he didn't give me some sort of fantastic story about why I should," Luke said with a shrug.

It didn't escape Wally's notice that Luke was always referring to his father in the past tense. His natural curiosity made him wonder why but he wasn't quite tactless enough to just ask the guy he'd just met why his father was apparently not around. Wally had his own history with less than stellar fathers so he wasn't about to pry into Luke's.

Just then the bell rang loud through the school and Wally got up. "Well, back to torture," he said, slumping his shoulders heavily as he trudged off towards the door. Luke laughed some and tossed his trash away before leaving the cafeteria as well. "Don't laugh… it is torture," Wally insisted.

"Yes, yes, of course," Luke said kindly.

A few hours later, the last bell of the day went off and a huge gust of wind swept through the halls of the school along with a blur that nobody could see properly. Nearly ten minutes later, the majority of the student body was exiting the school. Luke glanced around the campus but couldn't spot the redhead he'd been looking for. Shrugging some, he supposed that Wally really had been dying to get out of school and ran off as soon as he got the chance. "Oh, well, I'll see him tomorrow," Luke said to himself as he started back towards his house.

"Worst first days have definitely happened," he added to himself as he walked down the sidewalk. "At least I didn't end up in a rubbish bin. Or a worse place. I don't need to know this school's toilets that intimately. That's for sure."

It only took Luke fifteen minutes to get to the house that his mother had moved to. It was a tiny row house with a cramped green area that the realtor had said was a lawn but really served more a weed patch than anything. But Luke was sure that his mother would get around to improving the state of that before too long. "I'm home, mum," Luke called as he came through the front door and side stepped a large tower of moving boxes. They were still deep in the middle of moving and the house was a disaster scene.

"Welcome home!" came a shout from further back in the house. Luke quickly maneuvered his way down the hall to the kitchen where he mother was unpacking a box full of dishes. "How was your day, dear?"

"Been worse," Luke said, echoing his earlier thoughts. "I actually met someone who seemed to not hate me on sight. Kind of an odd one but he's nice enough," he said as he put his bag down by a coat rack and moved to help unpack the box his mother was going through.

"That's nice, dear," his mother said as she put another stack of dishes away. Once they had emptied the box, she let out a sigh and brushed her light blonde hair back. Luke was rather glad he'd inherited so many of his mother's traits, including her blonde hair and blue eyes. He wanted nothing to do with the father that had disappeared from his life years ago without a word. The man had been as harsh and unloving as a rock and about as personable.

He'd even struck Luke a few times when his temper was particularly bad. Though most of the time he was more distant and dismissive than anything else. Like he didn't really want to be hanging around. Luke supposed that was why he no longer did. He'd finally gotten fed up with pretending like he cared when he didn't.

"Anything else happen today?" Luke's mother asked, bringing the blonde's attention back to the conversation fully.

"Not so much. Wally was the highlight. He's just too excitable to be anything but," Luke said with a grin. "It's like watching a hamster that had sugar put in its water. Or maybe some other small energetic creature. Like a kitten."

His mother laughed some at the comparison. "He sounds quite entertaining, dear. I'm glad you made a friend."

"Mm, maybe he'll come by some time so you can meet him," Luke offered. "I think you'd like him."

"I'm sure I would. But, until then, I need you to help unpack the rest of these boxes. We have far too much to do still," his mother said as she slid a box across the counter towards him. He groaned a bit but took the box and opened it to start unpacking what was inside.


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N:** I know some people feel OC stories are 'taking over' this section of YJ fanfiction but... really isn't that the fun of having such an expansive universe to play with? That's why there's DC Universe Online and all...

* * *

"Wally, isn't that your fifth milkshake?" Luke asked as the redhead across from him slurped the thick mixture down as if it was the last food on earth. "I don't understand where you put it all…"

Wally finished the milkshake with a noisy slurp. He smacked his lips some as he put the glass down next to a few others. "I just have a high metabolism," he said as he leaned back in his chair and patted his stomach with one hand. "But man that was good. I needed a pick me up."

Luke eyed the dishes in front of him warily. "If I had eaten that much I would have been picked up and slammed back down again," he muttered. "You're not going to stick me with the bill for all of this are you?"

"I'll pay for my own," Wally assured him. "I'm used to it."

"I imagine so if this is your idea of a quick lunch," Luke said as the waitress came with their bill and began to gather dishes. Luke glanced at the bill for a brief moment before pulling out enough money to cover his end of the check. "What are we going to do now that you've finished stuffing yourself?"

Wally grinned even as he reached for his own wallet. "I got a new game if you wanna try it," he said. "It's pretty sweet but not as much fun with only one player."

Luke frowned. "I'm not very good at video games…"

"That's fine! You don't have to be good at it to have fun," Wally insisted. "Come on, maybe you'll surprise yourself."

The blonde chuckled some and shook his head. "Maybe but I doubt it," he said. "Alright, I'll try it. But don't make fun of me when you pound me into the virtual ground."

"Would I do that?" Wally asked innocently.

"I don't know… would you?"

"You wound me, Brit-Boy."

Luke rolled his eyes. "I'm sure you'll get over it."

The two of them got up a few minutes later and headed out of the diner. They weren't in any particular hurry as they made their way down the street. Since they had nowhere in particular to be they weren't concerned about getting there fast. As they were passing by an electronics store, the images on the screen attracted both their attention.

On the screen was a large bank with several police cars outside of it. A moment later the camera zoomed out to show a pretty reporter standing behind a police line. "Aunt Iris," Wally said rushing forward. "Man, why is it muted?" Luke blinked some and glanced at the woman's name scrolled across the bottom. Iris West-Allen.

"I didn't know your Aunt was a reporter," Luke commented as he took a few steps closer to the window.

"Yeah, but I want to know what's going on," Wally said before hurrying inside of the store. Luke called out before hurrying after his friend. Inside, one of the other TVs was on the same channel but without the mute on.

"-isn't clear how many armed assailants are inside or how many hostages they have taken. The police are currently attempting to negotiate with the men in hopes for ending this standoff peacefully," Iris said into the camera.

Wally scowled. "Hostage situation. Geeze. The police can't do anything because those thugs'll probably kill someone…"

"At least they have negotiators working on it," Luke offered. "I'm sure they'll manage to get it all under control. It's their job after all."

"Yeah…" Wally agreed though Luke was surprised that he didn't look all that confident

"Don't you believe in your police force?" Luke asked curiously.

"Hm? Oh, of course I do!" Wally said quickly. "It's just sometimes you can't reason with people like that. Criminals don't usually act like everyone else does. I mean, look at the psychos who go on massive killing sprees and stuff. Or the crazy guys with death rays and psychological warfare. Sometimes the police just can't keep up."

Luke gave a bit of a reluctant nod. "I suppose…"

Luke and Wally slowly made their way out of the electronics store and started down the street again. They hadn't made it more than two blocks before Wally suddenly stopped. "Hey, I just remembered… I promised my mom I'd grab her some stuff at the store before coming home. Can we do a rain check on the games?"

The blonde blinked some. "Uh… yeah bu-"

"Great, bye!" Wally said before dashing across the street and down a side alley to disappear from sight entirely.

"O-okay then," Luke said. "Bye…"

Luke was a bit confused by his friend's sudden disappearance but did his best to put it out of his mind. It wasn't like there was nothing else for him to do. He could… do lots of things. Of which nothing was coming to his mind. He sighed some and shook his head before turning back the way he'd come. He really had to make some more friends around here. Wally was great and all but he was a bit of a flake. He would disappear and cancel on Luke quite a lot and it was a bit frustrating.

Maybe he would explore his neighborhood a bit more. He hadn't really bothered to do that before and Luke figured there had to be something entertaining nearby. Maybe he'd even run into someone his own age.

As Luke walked back past the electronics store a sudden blur of color caught his attention. He paused and looked over to see a bright red and a bright yellow blurs move across the screen before disappearing into the bank. He tilted his head to the side and watched as, within minutes, the blurs reappeared and then stopped.

Several masked bank robbers were sitting in the middle of the street, tied and somewhat roughed up, with two people standing near them. One was a man with a red suit and a lightning bolt motif and the other was a boy with a similar, albeit yellow, suit on. Though the teen was showing off a mop of red hair. Luke frowned and bent closer to the screens. He had heard about the Flashes. He did live in their city after all. But he'd never actually seen them before. They were more… colorful than he had expected.

And he honestly hadn't expected the Kid Flash to be as old as he was either. 'Kid' Flash brought a much younger image to mind but the boy standing next to the red clad speedster was clearly a teenager. He wasn't given any more time to study the duo as they became blurs again and zipped off screen. "Huh…" Luke straightened again and gave the screen one last look before continuing down the street. "Only in America, I suppose…"

Luke wandered the streets near his home for a little while before he stumbled across a nice looking church. It had a huge rose window in the front and lines of thinner windows in each wall. There were several wings to the church and in a fenced in playground, dozens of kids were jumping around and screaming in delight. The sign out front of the old stone building was an engraved slab of white colored stone with the words 'Our Lady of Mercy Children's Home'.

Luke blinked in surprise before turning his attention back to the front of the building. The large double doors were fairly plain except for the crosses carved into the dark wood. It looked like any old church but apparently it was also an orphanage? Or was it just a repurposed church? But then why would it say Our Lady of Mercy?

"Can I help you?"

Luke turned quickly to see a middle aged priest standing there. He had a bit of grey coloring his temples and wrinkles forming at the edges of his eyes. His long black coat was perfectly pressed and the white collar stood out brightly against it. "Oh, no, I just moved here a month ago and I was exploring…" Luke told him.

"I see. Well, welcome to our neighborhood," the priest said with a smile. "I'm Father Andrews. Who might you be?"

"Luke Wright. Is this place really a children's home?"

Father Andrews raised an eyebrow. "It is. And it has been since we were founded here in 1891. Though we don't house as many children as we'd like we do what we can to provide a place of safety for them," he explained.

"This is a big place then," Luke said looking back at the building.

"Not as big as we would like. There are three wings for the children to reside in but we had to stop schooling them here because we simply ran out of space for it. At least now it is easier for everyone to get basic education than it was when we were founded," Father Andrews told him. "We decided it was better to give those without homes a place to feel safe and secure rather than focus merely on schooling."

Luke nodded some. "Makes sense." Suddenly, his watch started beeping loudly and Luke quickly looked at it as he turned it off. "Ah, I should be going. Mum'll be wondering where I am…"

"Then you should definitely go home. But please, don't hesitate to come back. We welcome all visitors," Father Andrews told him.

"Maybe I will," Luke agreed before turning and starting an easy jog back towards his own house. He was still surprised to find a place like that so close to his own home. It had just been nestled back in a neighborhood practically hidden from view from several trees in front. But at least there was a place with other kids around, some of them looked close to Luke's age. Perhaps he could at least make one or two other friends besides Wally? Then he'd have something to do when the redhead decided to cancel on him next time.


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N:** Update!

* * *

Luke frowned at the several sheets of paper scattered out in front of him. "Glare at it any harder and it'll combust, dear," his mother commented.

"Save me the trouble of doing it," he replied. "This makes no sort of sense… What purpose does this even have in the real world? I mean… all of these formulas. There has to be an easier way to figure all of this out than that."

"Arithmetic has never been your best subject," his mother commented as she paused in her cooking to glance over the sheets. "Unfortunately, it's not my best either…"

Luke sighed and tapped the page with the eraser on the end of his pencil. "It's like it's written in Greek. Backwards," he complained. "It's all going to be wrong when I turn it in. I just know it. I'm going to fail the class entirely. My apologies in advance, mum."

She laughed some. "Don't be so dramatic. You're starting to sound like Wally." His mother had met Wally not long after Luke had stared hanging out with the redhead and they'd gotten along well. Then again, Luke hadn't really found anyone that Wally _didn't_ get along well with. He was definitely a people person.

Luke smiled a little before something occurred to him and he brightened. "Hey, Wally's already taken this! Maybe he can help me out with it," he said before jumping off of his stool and hurrying to the phone mounted to the nearby wall. He quickly dialed in his friend's number and leaned against the wall as he listened to it ring.

"Luke! Don't lean on the wall," his mother admonished.

He quickly straightened as the other line was picked up. "Hey, Luke. What's up?" Wally asked lightly. In the background, Luke could hear the sound of a video game going and someone cackling. "Oh, shut up! You're so cheating!" Wally yelled though Luke had a feeling he was talking to whoever he was playing against.

"Are you any good at arithmetic, Wally?" Luke asked.

"Kinda, why?" Wally answered though he sounded distracted.

"Because I'm not and this homework assignment is killing me. Any chance you could come over and try and help me with it?" Luke asked though, if Wally was really having that much fun with… whoever he was having fun with, Luke had his doubts that the redhead would agree.

There was a loud explosion and a groan. "Sorry, Luke. Homework? I can try and help. I don't know how much help I'll be though…"

"Any would be better than what I have now," Luke said before glancing over at his mother at the stove. An idea suddenly occurred to him and he grinned. "Mum's making dinner…" he said lightly.

He could almost visualize Wally perking up. "Dinner? What kind?"

Luke looked over at what his mother was doing again. She was giving him a slightly annoyed look before sighing and reaching into the icebox to grab more food. They would need it if Wally would be joining them. "Looks like steaks to me," Luke finally answered as he saw them sizzling away. "But she's also getting out some other stuff since I mentioned Wally and dinner in the same sentence," he added with a laugh.

Wally hummed. "Hold on one sec," he said and Luke heard the phone move before muffled talking that he couldn't make out. Luke assumed that he was talking to whoever he was playing with. "Hey, can Rob come over too?"

"Rob? Oh, that friend of yours?" Luke guessed. "Uh, let me check with mum." He looked over at his mother who gave permission with a slight nod. Luke had very few friends so she wasn't about to deny him possibly getting another. "She says it's fine. We didn't need groceries this week anyway."

"Oh ha ha," Wally said. "You're so funny. We'll be over in a few. If I can't help you, Rob can. He's a mathlete."

"A what?" Luke asked but Wally had already hung up the other side. Luke stared at the phone for a moment before shaking his head and hanging the phone up again. "I hope being a 'mathlete' is a good thing…"

"Well, I guess you'll find out," his mother offered as she put another few steaks into the skillet. "So who is this other boy?"

Luke shrugged as he went to sit at the bar again. "Not sure. Robert, I think his name is… he's a friend of Wally's. He's mentioned him a bunch but I've never met him myself. I guess they were having a visit when I called," he explained as he watched his mother move around the kitchen to fix substantially more food than she would have normally. She'd already learned the first time Wally had come over for dinner that the boy had a black hole where his stomach was supposed to be.

"I see, well, I suppose between the three of you someone will be able to get your homework done," she said with a smile. "So long as you don't forget to do it with your friends over."

Luke sighed, "I won't forget, mum."

"You'd better not."

"I won't!" he insisted.

She chuckled some and nodded. "Alright. Don't forget the rubbish after dinner either. I don't want it sitting around where the little critters can start going through it. I don't like picking it up from all over the yard."

Luke nodded. "Yes, mum. I won't forget the rubbish either." She smiled before bending over and kissing him on the forehead. "Mum!" he protested before pulling away.

She just laughed. "You're a good boy, Luke. But I remember when you used to beg me for kisses like that," she teased lightly.

"At least one of us does," he teased back.

She swatted him upside the head gently. "Work on your homework." Luke laughed to himself but obediently turned back to his worksheets. He didn't anticipate getting much solved but he would try it anyway. There wasn't much else to do while he was waiting for his friend and or dinner; whichever came first. He was betting it would be Wally.

It took a surprisingly long time for the redhead to actually show up. Much longer than Luke had expected. Usually, Wally arrived only fifteen minutes or so after saying he'd be over. But it had already been twice that and the doorbell still hadn't gone off. Luke was actually starting to get a bit worried about it if he was entirely honest. "Usually he's here by now…" Luke muttered as he glanced at the clock on the stove.

"Don't worry so much, Luke. Wally wouldn't miss the chance to have free food," he mother commented.

Finally, the doorbell went off. Luke jumped down from his stool and hurried over to the front door. Wally grinned and waved some as soon as the door opened. "Hey there. Sorry we took so long. Kinda forgot to ask Rob's dad first so we had to ask his permission. Dude's kinda scary…"

Luke smiled some. "I see. Come on in," he said before stepping to the side for the taller teen to come in. Behind him was a teen about Luke's size with messy black hair and sunglasses on. "Ah, you must be the friend I've heard so much about. Robert wasn't it?" Luke asked.

"Uh, yeah. That's me," the black haired teen said before extending a hand. "Nice to meet you." Luke returned the handshake before gesturing for the two of them to follow him into the eat-in kitchen that was already filled with the smells of food cooking away.

"Mum, this is Robert, Wally's friend. Robert, my mother," Luke introduced.

Luke's mother gave the black haired teen a smile. "It's good to meet you. I hope you have a more normal appetite. I don't think I have enough food in the house if you have one the size of Wally's."

Wally's friend smirked. "Don't worry. I'm normal. And call me Rob. It's a lot easier," he said.

"If that's what you prefer. Now, dinner's not quite ready yet so you boys go entertain yourselves for a few minutes and I'll call you when it's done," she said before shooing them out of the kitchen again.

"So… what exactly is a mathlete?" Luke asked as he went to sit down on the couches in the living room.

Wally snickered a bit at the glare sent his way from his friend. Though, Luke couldn't actually see it, it wasn't hard to imagine with how the shorter boy had looked over at the redhead. "You don't have mathlete's in England?" Rob asked.

"If we do I've never been around any…"

"It's like being an athlete… only with math," Wally supplied. "They get teams together and race to solve math problems. Whoever gets it right fastest wins."

Luke made a face at the prospect. "Maybe I've never heard of them because I've always been so dreadful at arithmetic," he mused. "That might be it. It's a horrid subject… truly it is. Any help you give me will be very much appreciated."

"I'll do my best," Rob agreed with a half smile.


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: **I tried to make this chapter longer... really I did. It just wouldn't have it though.**  
**

* * *

"I think I'd rather gouge my eyes out than do anymore of this…" Luke muttered as he scribbled on the math homework in front of him yet again.

"It's not so bad," Rob told him. "And besides, you're almost done."

"Thankfully," Luke said. With Rob's help he had managed to get through all of the worksheets in only an hour and a half. He had a feeling Rob would have gotten through the sheets in a snap but he was glad that his new acquaintance/friend hadn't complained about how slow the blonde was at solving the problems.

Wally chimed in every once and a while but mostly he let Rob do the explaining. It was probably better that way, Luke figured. The more people trying to explain things the faster he was likely to get terribly confused.

A few minutes later, Luke finished writing the answer to the last problem and tossed his pencil down. "Finally. Thanks for the help. That was monstrous…"

"I'll just consider it my payment for your mom giving me dinner," Rob said with a bit of a laugh. He seemed, rather like Wally, to be in a constant good humor. He almost always had a smile or a smirk on his face. He seemed to be a bit smart-alecky but not so much of one that Luke grew annoyed at it. Especially since the target tended to be Wally and not Luke.

"So, how long have you two been friends anyway?" Luke asked as he packed away his homework in his bookbag. There would be less chance of him forgetting it in the morning if it was already in there. Something he'd learned to do a while ago after forgetting homework at home so many times in a month he'd almost failed a few of his classes.

Rob shrugged. "A couple years."

"My uncle sort of… works with his dad," Wally added.

Luke looked up, somewhat confused with the odd pause in the middle of the statement. "What do they do?" Luke asked.

The two of them exchanged a brief glance. "Public service," Rob answered. Luke nodded some. Though public service seemed like a rather broad term, with the tone that Rob had used Luke didn't really think he'd get anywhere by asking anything further.

Before Luke could think to suggest doing something else with the remainder of their time, a phone started going off. Rob was quick to pull the expensive phone out of his pocket and answer it. He was up and out of the room before he even finished saying 'hello'. "Ah, I bet that's his dad," Wally said with a face. "We'll probably have to get going here, Luke."

"It's alright. At least I got my homework done," Luke answered.

Sure enough, not five minutes later, Rob came in and announced that they had to go and that his father was waiting for him. Luke walked the two of them to the door and said goodbye. He was glad that he'd met another person he could call friend besides just Wally. Especially with how often Wally cancels or has to leave early for something 'super important'.

Suddenly realizing that he'd meant to get Rob's cell phone number in the very likely case that he needed further math help, Luke quickly reopens the door and steps out. "Wha… where did they go?" he couldn't help but ask. He'd only closed the door on them a moment ago but they were completely gone. It was the strangest thing. Luke could see down the street for nearly half a block in both directions.

Luke stared at the empty street for several minutes until his mother called for him. "Luke! Remember the rubbish!" Unable to figure out what had happened on the street, Luke shook his head and put it out of his mind to go do what his mother wanted.

"Rob seemed like a nice boy," his mother said after he came back in from dealing with his chore.

"He does. And he's quite smart. I'm surprised he didn't get frustrated with me while I was trying to do that homework," Luke said as he watched his mother finish washing the dishes.

His mother hummed a little as she put a dish onto the drying rack. "So what is a mathlete?"

"Apparently a team of people that race to solve math problems… sounds like an utter nightmare," Luke replied. "In fact, I think I've had a few like that…"

His mother laughed a little and glanced over her shoulder at him. "Your hatred for all things mathematic doesn't seem at all natural you know. Even I don't hate math that much that I have nightmares about it."

"That's because you don't have to do it anymore," Luke quipped. "If you had to do my homework you'd have nightmares too, mum."

"I'm sure I would, dear," his mother said obligingly.

Luke sighed and laid his head on his arm. "I forgot to get his cell number. I guess I'll have to try and get it from Wally tomorrow." Hopefully he would remember to ask this time.

"Yes, you'll probably need the help."

"Mum!"

"Sorry, dear, but it's true," she pointed out as she pulled the plug in the sink and rinsed the last bits of soap off of her hands. "That and science."

Luke made a face. "Both horrid subjects. They should both die in a fire."

His mother laughed. "I don't think subjects of learning can die the way you're imagining, dear."

"Well they should."

"Of course, of course. How about you go get ready for bed instead of complaining about school subjects?" she suggested even as she wiped the water off of her hands with a nearby dishtowel.

Luke frowned and glanced at the nearby clock. "It's still early, mum…"

"I'm tired of having to wake you up five times in the morning," she replied. "Get going."

"Oh come on! Most teenagers don't have bed times you know!"

"You're not most teenagers. You're my baby boy and you're going to get the rest you need," she insisted.

"Mum!"

"Go or you're getting grounded."

Luke put on his best pout but it had utterly no effect on his mother. With an exasperated sigh, he threw his hands up into the air and headed up towards his room. Though he had absolutely no intention of actually going to sleep he didn't exactly want to test his mother's resolve about the whole grounding thing. The only question was what was he going to do in his room for the next few hours?


	5. Chapter 5

It turned out being friends with Wally West was not exactly easy. The times that Wally flaked out or left much earlier than he said he would only increased the longer Luke knew him. So, Luke was left to find his own way of entertaining himself. Most of his time Luke spent meandering through town aimlessly or helping out at the orphanage. All of the kids there seemed to be thrilled when he stopped by so it was hard not to enjoy spending time with them in turn. The only problem with helping out at the orphanage was that almost all of the kids were much younger than Luke so it tended to feel like babysitting after a while.

The blonde was glad that he apparently wasn't worth the trouble to bully at school but he was a far cry from overflowing with popularity and friends. Not that Luke didn't make an attempt to be friendly. The problem was more that nobody seemed to take much notice of him at all. They all had their own friends to hang out with and Luke most certainly did not. What was making things worse, however, was that his mother still wouldn't allow a computer in the house. Well, not a very good one. Lack of decent internet access meant that keeping in touch with the few friends he did have in England was severely hampered.

Luke was meandering down to the park that was near the school after, yet again, Wally had called to say something had come up and he couldn't make their usual lunchtime meeting. Well, it was supposed to be usual.

As the British teen entered the nicely landscaped park, he heard something that was distinctly not natural. Luke looked around and, after a moment, spotted a boy about his age sitting on a park bench playing a flute. Luke blinked a little in surprise. Was it usual to go practice in the park?

Luke vaguely recognized the boy from school. The band specifically. But Luke was also very much aware that the flute player was one of the richer boys in school. He always had the nicest things and apparently his father even bought new instruments for the band. Luke struggled to remember the boy's name but the only thing that came to him was his father's last name. Rathaway.

Listening to the flute, Luke tried to figure out if he should be bold and try to introduce himself or not. It would probably be nice to have another friend his own age. The problem was that Luke hadn't exactly done such a thing before. Wally had been the one to initiate their friendship during gym. Luke himself had never been terribly outgoing. It was why after several months living in America he still had only one friend his own age.

"Can I help you?"

Luke jumped a little and suddenly realized that Rathaway had stopped playing and was now looking at him expectantly. He'd been so busy debating with himself, Luke hadn't realize he'd been noticed. "Oh, um, sorry. It's just… you're very good," Luke said awkwardly.

"That's what practice will do," he said as he got up. He made his way over to where Luke was standing. "You're that kid that moved here from England right? You've been hanging out with West a lot."

"Ah, well, yes… but Wally's MIA at the moment," Luke offered with a slight laugh.

Rathaway hummed a little before looking Luke over carefully. "I'm Hartley," he said after a minute.

"Luke."

"Well, Luke, do you play an instrument?"

The blonde blinked at the suddenly question. "Uh, no, I can't say that I do…"

Hartley grunted a little. "You should. We need an oboe player."

"A… an oboe player?" Luke echoed.

"Nobody ever wants to play an oboe. You should pick it up. It'll give you something to do," Hartley said casually. "Come on, there's a music shop just down the street you can check out."

Luke barely had a chance to protest as Hartley grabbed his arm and dragged the blonde down the street. "Uh, really I've never played an instrument before!" Luke tried even as Hartley practically pushed him through the door of the music supply store.

"Don't worry about it," Hartley replied. "It's only school band and everyone needs to start somewhere."

Hartley ignored the blonde almost entirely as he looked around the shop with excitement. It was clear he'd probably been in this store quite a few times. Something that was made even more obvious by the was the clerk greeted him. "Hi there, Hartley. Did you need something?"

"My friend here needs an oboe," Hartley announced as he nudged Luke forward a few steps.

"B-but I told you! I've never played an oboe!"

"And I told you not to worry about it," Hartley replied with a smile. "Come on, I'll even buy it for you."

Luke's blue eyes widened even more at the offer. "No! You can't do that! What if I'm horrible? I don't want you wasting money on me!"

The flutist scoffed. "Oh please, Luke, it's my money I'll spend it how I want to," he replied. "Besides, I've got plenty more than I need. One oboe isn't going to kill my bank account."

Though Luke attempted a few more protests, he got roped into not only somehow walking out of the shop with an oboe but apparently a part of the school band. Then Hartley ran off, leaving a very confused British teen standing in the street. Luke looked down at the black case he now had in his hand. He had no idea why he hadn't been able to put his foot down during that little encounter. It had just happened so fast, Luke hadn't been able to scramble together a decent reply. He knew he wasn't exactly the most steadfast or opinionated person on the planet but he had thought even he wouldn't be somehow volunteered to take up a position in the school band by someone else. Much less someone he'd just met that day.

Still somewhat confused, Luke decided to just go home and not worry about it, or at least try not to. There was always the chance that he'd be absolute rubbish at playing and wouldn't last in the band anyway. There wasn't any reason to get worried about it. Hartley was right in that it was only school band. It wasn't like he had to play if he didn't want to or was terrible at it. He still felt really bad about Hartley buying the instrument for him though. Even if Hartley was the one who insisted on it in the first place.

Maybe Luke could return the instrument if everything fell through? Then he could give the money back to the other boy. But would Hartley accept that?

So concerned with the newest development, Luke didn't realize he'd gotten home until his mother called out to him. "Luke, what are you carrying?" she asked staring in surprise at the black case.

Luke looked down at the case as well. "An oboe."

"An oboe!?" she echoed. "Why on Earth do you have an oboe, dear?"

There was a long moment of pause. "I… think I have a new friend?" Luke answered uncertainly. "He insisted I had to play the oboe in the school band… I don't really know how I ended up with it other than that though. It happened rather fast… Apparently, they don't have any oboe players and he decided I would be perfect for the task."

His mother chuckled a little. "Oh my, you seem to find all of the strangest friends, dear," she said.

"Yes… I've noticed that as well…" Luke muttered. "Very strange and surprisingly forceful. Maybe it's an American thing. Anyway, I'm going to go put this in my room."

"Alright, dear. Oh! Wally called earlier." Luke paused halfway up the stairs and turned back to look at her. "He asked if you wanted to go and see a movie to make up for him canceling on you earlier. I told him you'd call him back when you got home," she said before smiling wider. "You should probably do that soon so that he doesn't disappear again. I swear that boy's always running off to do something or another."

Luke chuckled. "Yes, he does seem to be very busy. Don't worry, I'll call him back after I put this away."


End file.
